Extract from Jonathan Fowler’s article “Thoughtful Innovation”
Artificial intelligence has moved from the periphery to the core of legal practice, but the true measure of progress is no longer speed—it’s thoughtful innovation. After years of experimentation and hype, legal organizations are now deploying AI to transform workflows, not just automate them. The industry’s leaders are those who prioritize transparency, compliance, and trust, ensuring that AI enhances rather than undermines the values at the heart of legal work.
In law, trust and accountability are paramount. AI systems must be more than efficient, they must be transparent and explainable. Black-box solutions that deliver outcomes without clear rationale are incompatible with a profession built on reasoning, precedent, and documentation. The prevailing mindset has shifted from “move fast and break things” to “build right and build to last.” This evolution is visible across the industry as regulatory scrutiny intensifies, and clients demand greater assurances about how their data is handled.
Regulations such as the EU AI Act and new U.S. state-level rules are raising the bar for risk management and oversight. Clients expect their data to be secure and processed in accordance with their values and legal obligations. Legal technology providers are responding by embedding compliance, explainability, and data protection into their products from the outset. Transparency is now the cornerstone of responsible AI adoption. Legal professionals, clients, and regulators all expect to understand how AI reaches its conclusions. Explainability—being able to trace, validate, and, if necessary, defend an AI-driven outcome—has become essential. Without it, AI risks undermining the trust it aims to enhance.
